Palau, 2003

I bring to the

Assembly greetings and good wishes from the

President of the Republic of Palau, Tommy E.

Remengesau, Jr., and from the people and the

Government of the Republic of Palau.

Nearly 60 years ago, in his final inaugural

address, United States President Franklin Delano

Roosevelt reflected on the lessons of the first half of

the twentieth century. He said:

“We have learned that we cannot live alone,

at peace; that our own well-being is dependent on

the well-being of other nations far away. ... We

have learned to be citizens of the world, members

of the human community.”

Those words have more resonance today than ever

before as Palau and the rest of the world enter into the

twenty-first century. The Republic of Palau is enjoying

rapid development, which came with its independence

on 1 October nine years ago. However, at a time of

rapid globalization, when events halfway around the

world — and most recently in our own backyard — can

profoundly affect our safety and prosperity, Palau

realizes that it must join the international community in

this new challenge to protect our people at home and

our way of life.

To that end, the Republic of Palau reaffirms its

unwavering support for the war led by the United

States against terrorism. We all benefit when nations

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come together to deter aggression and terrorism, to

resolve conflicts, to prevent the spread of diseases and

the spread of dangerous weapons, to promote

democracy and human rights, to open markets and to

create economic and financial stability, to raise living

standards and to protect the environment — to face

those myriad challenges that no nation can meet alone.

Globalization, however, also brings about risks.

Outlaw States and ethnic conflicts threaten regional

stability and progress in many important areas of the

world. Weapons of mass destruction, terrorism, drug

trafficking and other international crimes are global

concerns that transcend national borders. Other

problems originating overseas — such as the depletion

of resources, rapid population growth, environmental

damage, new infectious diseases such as severe acute

respiratory syndrome (SARS), pervasive corruption

and uncontrolled refugee migration — have

increasingly significant implications for every nation’s

security. National economies will suffer if the global

economy is unstable or if markets collapse, and the

highest environmental standards — such as those set

out in the Kyoto Protocol — will not protect small,

struggling island countries like Palau if other countries

do not join the global effort to bring about peace and

stability.

Protection of the environment is a major concern

to us. Decisions made today regarding the environment

and natural resources can affect every nation’s security

for generations. Environmental threats do not respect

national borders, but they can pose long-term dangers

for every nation’s security and well-being. Scarcity and

depletion of natural resources can trigger and

exacerbate conflict. Environmental threats — such as

climate change, the depletion of stratospheric ozone,

the introduction of nuisance plant and animal species,

the overharvesting of fish and of other living natural

resources, and the transnational movement of

hazardous chemicals and waste — directly threaten the

health and economic well-being of every people of the

world. For Palau, the immediate danger is the rise in

sea level.

Another issue that we wish to address is that of

the cloning of human beings. We believe that any

global and comprehensive ban on human cloning must

include a ban on the cloning of human embryos for

research purposes. While the goal of finding cures to

chronic illnesses is laudable, progress and economic

gain achieved by creating and destroying human life

come at too high a price. We believe that adult-stem-

cell research is a promising field of study that can

provide an ethical source of stem cells for scientific

investigation. The international community must not

allow human life to be devalued in any way, and we

encourage all States to adopt such measures as may be

necessary to prohibit techniques of genetic engineering

that may have adverse consequences on respect for

human dignity.

In public health, we note that many peoples

around the world are suffering and dying each day

from the scourges of HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, malaria,

cancer, polio and similar diseases. Combined

international support for public health beyond the

clinic walls must be advocated and put into practice if

we are to eliminate some of those challenges to quality

human life.

Such international support and collaborative

efforts were recently manifested during the spread of

severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS). I also urge

all members of this body to support and ratify the

Framework Convention on Tobacco Control adopted by

the World Health Assembly this year. More

importantly, we should combine our efforts to

implement the mission of the Convention to control

tobacco use, which contributes to diseases and death

throughout the world.

The United Nations is to truly represent all

peoples, with discrimination and exclusion eliminated

from its operational practice. To be effective at

ensuring international peace and security, all nations,

large and small, must be represented in the United

Nations. The Republic of China on Taiwan can no

longer be kept on the sidelines of the most important

international Organization and the leading forum for

international dialogue. Over the past half-century, the

hard-working people of Taiwan have transformed their

country into the world’ s seventeenth largest economy

and a vibrant democracy. In 1996, Taiwan had its first

direct presidential election and, in 2000, accomplished

its first peaceful transfer of executive powers. Since

then Taiwan’s popularly-elected Government has acted

in accordance with United Nations resolutions to

combat international terrorism and to support

humanitarian relief in countries throughout the world,

and yet it is still excluded from the process. Our

experience with SARS has shown us that exclusion can

bring no benefits to anyone. The 23 million Taiwanese

people have an equal right to a voice in the United

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Nations and should be welcomed by all members of

this body.

The central purpose of the United Nations is the

preservation and advancement of world peace. It

accomplishes its peacemaking and humanitarian

assistance efforts through international cooperation. Its

191 Member States, large and small, rich and poor, and

with different political views, strive collectively to

address global challenges and advance world peace.

Together, they consider and decide on the world’s most

pressing problems. Thus, in this regard I ask the world

here today, at the fifty-eighth session of the General

Assembly, to study and discuss the roots of terrorism

and possible solutions, including inter-religious

intervention; to promote conservation standards to

protect our Earth’s environment; to promote world

public health; to protect the human dignity by banning

the cloning of human embryos; and to continue our

quest for peace and security for all peoples of the

world.